I quit my gym today. Yep, that's big news... #royalbaby, eat your heart out! ;)
I didn't go to the gym for three days last week, which is totally out of the norm, as I am usually there at 6:35 AM every weekday morning. Instead, I worked out at home, the way I had been for most of 2012 when I decided that the company gym was WAY too small and overused to utilize.
My relationship with this gym was fairly short -- started in mid-March and now leaving in mid-July. Although having a gym nearby my new job was a useful part of my transition, it's an expense that I don't want to keep incurring, among other things. *cryptic emoticon here if I had one*
Now that I've gotten more comfortable with my morning routine and fitting in workouts with my commute and job, I discovered that it was entirely possible for me to work out at home, enjoy my own shower, and still make it to work on time. I swapped a train transfer for a bus transfer, and although the ideal parking spaces at the train station aren't there for me anymore when I do this, I arrive at work much more relaxed than when I was coming fresh from the gym.
The transition back to at-home workouts WILL take some work. For instance, this morning I ran five miles, and instead of having the luxury of a treadmill/controlled environment, I had to deal with some darkness, hilly terrain, and time-killing traffic lights. I came back beet-faced and drenched as if I had run indoors, with slightly more painful joints afterward. However, I got to see "The Ukrainian" leave for work, drink my protein without having to lug another dishware on the train, and change into my 9-to-5-gear in a non-locker-room style. Not to mention, I no longer have to carry a change of clothing/shoes on the train, and I think the other passengers will hate me less for that.
I don't think I'm much of a gym person to begin with. Sure, I guess you can say that going to one changed my life, but here some of the other factors beyond money that were part of my decision:
I didn't go to the gym for three days last week, which is totally out of the norm, as I am usually there at 6:35 AM every weekday morning. Instead, I worked out at home, the way I had been for most of 2012 when I decided that the company gym was WAY too small and overused to utilize.
My relationship with this gym was fairly short -- started in mid-March and now leaving in mid-July. Although having a gym nearby my new job was a useful part of my transition, it's an expense that I don't want to keep incurring, among other things. *cryptic emoticon here if I had one*
Now that I've gotten more comfortable with my morning routine and fitting in workouts with my commute and job, I discovered that it was entirely possible for me to work out at home, enjoy my own shower, and still make it to work on time. I swapped a train transfer for a bus transfer, and although the ideal parking spaces at the train station aren't there for me anymore when I do this, I arrive at work much more relaxed than when I was coming fresh from the gym.
The transition back to at-home workouts WILL take some work. For instance, this morning I ran five miles, and instead of having the luxury of a treadmill/controlled environment, I had to deal with some darkness, hilly terrain, and time-killing traffic lights. I came back beet-faced and drenched as if I had run indoors, with slightly more painful joints afterward. However, I got to see "The Ukrainian" leave for work, drink my protein without having to lug another dishware on the train, and change into my 9-to-5-gear in a non-locker-room style. Not to mention, I no longer have to carry a change of clothing/shoes on the train, and I think the other passengers will hate me less for that.
I don't think I'm much of a gym person to begin with. Sure, I guess you can say that going to one changed my life, but here some of the other factors beyond money that were part of my decision:
- I've always been one to overheat in gyms. At home, I have my own portable fan (I don't turn on A/C ever, but a fan is enough).
- Since I use public transit and work in a social job, I get anxious when people get into my personal space when I'm working out. That's my "me" time, some of the only "me" time I get in a day outside of the restroom. I'd be in a remote corner doing circuit training, and people would get set up camp in space that I was clearly using. Also, when a person chooses the elliptical right next to mine, when there are many other empty ones around, I feel creeped out.
- Older ladies would always shower for a long time, sitting with the door open, in the first stall so that no matter what, you'd have to acknowledge them before getting to the next ones. Oh, and they put on lotion in the sauna... they should really crank that thing up so people don't feel tempted to stay in there that long.
- Oh, and I definitely won't miss seeing the person I call "runner girl," and I think it's because of my "jelly-hater"-like tendencies. She reminds me of myself in my early 20s -- energetic, able to run a lot without consequence, working her first "real" job, and excited about everything fitness-related to the point that she has the join the faux "Crossfit" group and talk about running alllll the time, wearing Lululemon all the while. Because she didn't rely on transit, I'd get jealous that she was working out longer than me and had the time to actually enjoy it, rather than rushing through. Of course, I am perfectly aware that my negative feelings toward her are not good, but I'm being honest... and glad I won't keep falling in that comparison trap. Some people might find it motivating, but not me.
- A weird guy kept egging me on around the indoor track. I had taken a break from it and then came back to that level to use the treadmills, and he gestured toward the track. I could tell he had a little bit of a crush on me, so I kept staying away.
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